Area Man's Body Found In New York

By Christina A. Samuels

April 14, 2002 at 1:00 a.m. EDT

New York City recovery workers have found the body of a Woodbridge man who died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Jeff Simpson, 38, an Oracle employee and a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad, was in New York on business Sept. 11. His body, which was identified through dental records, was found at the base of the south tower, along with those of several New York City firefighters and Port Authority police officers. The south tower was the second hit but the first to collapse.

"I'm just glad that now we're going to have a place to go for birthdays and Father's Day," said his wife, Diane Simpson. She was notified March 24 that his body was identified. He is also survived by their 7-year-old triplets.

Diane Simpson has long believed that her husband tried to assist rescue efforts. A co-worker who was with Simpson that day said that while other people were streaming away from the towers, he was working to get close enough to help.

"I knew it all along," she said. "I knew in my heart what happened."

The funeral will be private; a memorial service has been held.

The rescue squad Simpson volunteered with has been campaigning to get an elementary school in the Ashland area named after him. A naming committee of parents has recommended the school be called Ashland Elementary. The School Board will decide April 24.